NCJ Number
195179
Date Published
2002
Length
172 pages
Annotation
Based on extensive research in Great Britain, including interviews with 350 armed robbers in prison, this book provides a comprehensive account of armed robbery, including a description and analysis of the attitudes, motivations, and methods of armed robbers, the role of firearms, the response of the police, and the impact on victims.
Abstract
In addition to the interviews with the imprisoned armed robbers, the research focused on two police armed response units from the Metropolitan and South Yorkshire Police. The chapter on the motivation of armed robbers develops a profile and typology of armed robbers and discusses the influence of the media on armed robbers, the financial motivation, and drug use. Most of the armed robbers interviewed came from poor neighborhoods, had low educational achievements, and expressed personal disorganization and desperation expressed by many of the robbers, particularly the amateurs; generally, the armed robberies involved minimal planning and a lack of awareness of security systems, thus decreasing their chance of a successful armed robbery. A chapter on "Doing the Business" addresses recent trends in armed robbery in Great Britain, the selection of targets, modus operandi, the prevention and reduction of robberies, and the displacement of robbery. A chapter on the use of weapons in robberies considers weapon choice and acquisition, trends in weapon use, the police use of weapons, the control of firearms, and sentencing for armed robbers. Victims of robbery are discussed in another chapter. Topics addressed include violence at work; the selection of victims; the experience and impact of armed robbery; gender, race, and victimization; the distribution of commercial robberies; and repeat victimization. An overview of the policing of armed robbery discusses dedicated versus non-dedicated police units, proactive versus reactive policing, the use of informers, the measurement of police effectiveness, the detection of armed robberies, and the prosecution and sentencing of offenders. The concluding chapter focuses on crime prevention measures, the availability and use of firearms, the changing patterns of victimization, the impact of policing and sentencing strategies, changing motivation and modus operandi, and the changing nature of male violence. Chapter notes, tables, and figures, and 234 references and a subject index